Grace under pressure

All those sitting in the Council fixed their eyes on Stephen and saw that his face looked like the face of an angel. The High Priest asked Stephen, ‘Is this true?’

Stephen answered, ‘Brothers and fathers, listen to me! Before our ancestor Abraham had gone to live in Haran, the God of glory appeared to him in Mesopotamia and said to him, “Leave your family and country and go to the land that I will show you.” (verses 15, 1-3)

Read Acts 6:15 – 7:16

Ernest Hemingway, the great American novelist, once suggested that the ultimate test of a human being was to retain serenity and composure in the face of danger and death. He called this ‘grace under pressure’. He found it, if rarely, at bullfights and war fronts.

Perhaps no other person in the New Testament exhibited this quality more than Stephen. His position certainly was dangerous. He faced the full wrath of the Jewish Council, which had the power and influence to seriously harm him. Yet, with a face like the face of an angel, he courageously proclaimed an unpopular truth from God.

The source of Stephen’s bravery, of course, was the same as the source of his message – God’s Spirit. What happened to Stephen reminds me that there is always pressure and tension in the church whenever anyone fearlessly speaks God’s word. At times this tension can reach an intensity similar to that of a war or a bullfight. But I can take heart from the goodness of God, who inspires me with bravery and composure to face situations of opposition and stress.

Dear God, send me your Spirit so that I might have the peace and courage to present to your enemies the face of an angel, full of grace and truth. Amen.

by Richard Hauser, in ‘Guidance for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2002)

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